Used Honda Civic Type R 2015-2017 review

This generation of Honda Civic Type R was the brand's first foray into turbocharging its flagship hot hatch. Considering all the high-revving, non-turbo performance cars the brand was known for, it could have been a disaster. Fortunately, it wasn't.

The model followed on from the high-revving 2007-2011 Type R (codenamed FN2) and was subsequently followed up by two turbo successors, the 2017-2022 Honda Civic Type R and a 2023-present car.

Engines & Performance: The 2.0-litre VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine produces 306bhp and, for a time, this Type R was the fastest front-wheel-drive hot hatch around the Nurburgring race track in Germany. You have a slick six-speed manual gearbox to play with – no auto' option here.

The 0-62mph sprint takes just 5.5sec, which is remarkably quick for a front-wheel-drive car. It has more than enough power available at every speed and RPM and, with the exception of a small amount of turbo lag, thrilling and very pleasing performance. It sounds good, too, and the Type R can easily achieve such speeds that your licence will start quaking in its wallet.

Ride & Handling: In corners, the Type R is phenomenally good, with outstanding grip and composure. It’s tremendous on road and track, even if some of its rivals feel slightly more connected through the steering wheel.

The pay-off for this stiffness is a ride that can feel overly firm at times, however much it might help you out at fast speeds.

Interior & Handling: Inside is a suitably sporting workplace, with a low-slung driving position, although not as low as some of its rivals offer, or indeed one or two sporty drivers might like, and figure-hugging bucket seats. The dashboard layout is rather fussy, however, as it is in the standard ninth-generation Civic, with fiddly switchgear and some questionable plastic trim.

Space up front is reasonable, provided you can get in and out of the car comfortably, which given the high-sided sports seats is debatable. Rear space is limited, though, and strictly for two. At least the boot is a decent size, echoing as it does the standard car.

Trims & Equipment: Being the range-topping model for the Civic range the Type R was well-equipped. Besides the aggressive bodykit, huge rear spoiler, wide wheel arches and Type R decals, the hot Civic also got Honda's Active City Braking technology, adaptive dampers, cruise control and hill start assist.

You have Honda's 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system with multimedia connectivity, a Garmin sat-nav and a DAB radio chucked in, while there is also a rear-view camera and climate control included. The Type R GT models added luxuries such as dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, auto wipers and lights, and fully electric windows.

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It’s possible to pick up a Type R of this generation for around £16,000, this for a respectable 2015 Type R or Type R GT. If you'd like a car with less than 40,000 miles on it, have around £20,000 to spend. Have a few grand more if you fancy one of the last 2017 examples.

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MPG: The official average fuel consumption for the Type R under the old NEDC tests was 38.7mpg, but you won’t get near that if you use the Civic with the enthusiasm that the engineers have dialled into this car.

Corresponding CO2 emissions are 170g/km, and if your Type R was registered before the tax changes of April 2017 came into force (and most were) it’s this figure that works out how much annual car tax you’ll pay.

Road tax: For examples registered before April 2017, you'll be paying £290 per year in road tax. Models registered after will attract a fee of £180 per year.

Insurance and servicing: Expect insurance costs to be high, and if you take it to a Honda main dealer for servicing – and we’d recommend you do – you’ll need to prepare for big bills there too. Some models may benefit from a plan whereby the earlier owner could purchase a five-year plan to cover the car, so it’s worth checking if your car is.

There is only the one engine available and there are only two trim options, standard and GT. Seeing as the latter is much more common and at a barely noteworthy premium, we'd opt for that.

Our favourite Honda Civic Type R: 2.0 Type R GT

The most obvious rival to the Civic Type R is the Volkswagen Golf R. It’s slightly down on power, but can also boast four-wheel drive, so it has more traction and is easier to drive in tricky conditions. That said, it doesn’t quite have the fluidity or the involvement of the Civic Type R.

A more interesting option if you want four-wheel drive is the Ford Focus RS. Its rear-biased chassis makes it more exciting to drive than the Golf R and it’ll even allow you to set up lurid four-wheel drifts – that's best practised away from the public road, of course. It’s also devilishly quick, but it's held back by an awkwardly high driving position and a plasticky interior.

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Interested in buying a used Honda Civic Type R? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.